Wicked Game
by borovnica
Summary: With Caroline out on her own and Klaus back in Mystic Falls, what happens next? Will he track her down or will she show up at his door, like he once predicted? Maybe none of the above? She may believe him capable of being saved, but he might just end up being her downfall. [Continuation of oneshot Can't Let You Be My Weakness]
1. Chapter 1

**Please read this before you begin. ****There won't be any A/Ns at the beginning in the future (because I personally don't like those), but I need everyone to read this one before they proceed.**

First, this is a continuation of **_Can't Let You Be My_ _Weakness _**and it's important that you read it before this because you will be clueless without it.

Second, this is not a fluffy Klaroline story. It will be semi-dark, not horror or anything, but blood may be spilled and characters may die.

Third, it's rated M for everything that M includes: strong language, sexual content (although not right now), violence etc.

Fourth, I am not a native English speaker although hopefully it doesn't show. Still, keep that in mind if you find any horrific mistakes :P

And that's all, I think!

Oh and disclaimer thing: I obviously don't own TVD otherwise a lot of things would have never happened or happened differently. Title credits and lyrics go to Chris Isaak.

Don't forget to tell me what you think!

* * *

_"The world was on fire and no one could save me but you._  
_It's strange what desire will make foolish people do._  
_I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you._  
_And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you."  
_

**.**

**Prologue**

**.**

He sat in a large chair, a glass of scotch in his hand. The fire behind him was the only source of light in the otherwise dark and windowless room and it warmed his face as he started at it. He swirled the hard beverage around the tumbler before downing it in one gulp. He could hear the footsteps approaching, a lazy smirk creeping onto his face as the heavy door opened and he could hear them halt behind him.

"Well, well, well." His smirk widened as he turned around, the warm fire now behind him. "Took you long enough."

*.*.*.*.*

"Another one, Miss Forbes?"  
She raised her head, looking at the handsome bartender she got used to seeing for the past few months.

"Yes please. And I told you to call me Caroline, Dave." She smiled brightly at him, showing her perfectly-shaped white teeth. The guy, Dave, seemed dazzled for a moment before picking up a bottle and refilling her glass.

"You know, Caroline, you're quite the drinker" he said in a teasing manner. "Can't say I've seen a lot of young women such as yourself who are able to even sit straight after five of those, let alone engage in a conversation."

"Well I'm not like most young women" she said.

"That you aren't" he agreed before catching himself and looking down sheepishly.

She blushed at his flirtation and batted her perfect long lashes as she looked at him in that seductive way she knew always worked. "Dance with me Dave?"

The man all but jumped from around the bar at her request. "Yes, definitely."

The bar was a fairly secluded, uncrowded place. There were a couple of people occupying the booths and a few more playing darts. The music was humming in the background and she walked over to the old fashioned jukebox standing in the corner. She picked an exceptionally slow song and returned to the rather nervous looking guy. The song began and she placed her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She could feel his own hands on her hips and she started swaying slowly to the familiar tune. Their faces were inches from each other, his breath tickling her skin. She could hear and feel his blood pumping fast through his veins as she slid her hands over his neck, bringing his face closer to hers. Brushing her nose lightly against his, she whispered "Do you want to go outside?"

He nodded immediately before taking her hand and leading her through the back door.

As soon as they were out in the alley behind the bar, she had him pressed against the brick wall and was kissing his neck hungrily. Her lips skimmed over his jaw and back, before sucking on his pulse point. "Don't scream" she said, her eyes fixed on his as the veins beneath them slowly appeared on her face. She plunged her fangs into just that right spot on his neck and moaned in appreciation as the warm liquid filled her mouth. He tried to push her away, but she was too strong for him. After a while he stopped struggling and she had to remind herself to stop. Feeling his pulse slow down to a critical point she moved away, licking the remains of his blood from the corners her lips. She bit into her wrist before bringing it to his mouth and forcing him to drink. After she made sure his wound had healed, she fixed his gaze and instructed in a monotonous voice "You are going to head home because you're feeling a bit ill. Forget everything that happened here; you simply walked me out and I left. And clean that up before anyone sees you" she motioned to his bloody neck. He strutted back into the bar and she watched him go inside before turning around, walking down the dark alley and disappearing into the night.

.

**Chapter 1  
**.

_**Present time**_

It's been four days. Four days in the city for lovers, yet she was all alone.  
After she was done crying and she suppressed all of the killing urges, she went out. She saw the city and, of course, she shopped. She ate in fancy restaurants and drank coffee in cute cafés. It was difficult at first, not knowing the language, but she managed. _If you put aside the little part where she was forced to leave her entire known world behind, life was good! _she thought sarcastically. At least it was.

There's this tiny problem with being a vampire: you have to feed to survive. And no amount of delicious meals in fancy restaurants was going to help her. She needed blood. Human blood, preferably. While she did try the bunny diet with Stefan, she just couldn't stomach it. And she was good with human blood, she was strong and in control and she never once got high on it like Stefan did. She drank strictly from the blood bags though. She wasn't _that_ strong and her conscience just couldn't handle another dead human on her hands or hurting innocent people at all.

The problem was, Mystic Falls is a small city, there is one small hospital and stealing blood bags was easy. If only she ever stole one herself. The Salvatores had enough in their basement for all of them and when it ran out, the gentlemen did it themselves. Which was a stupid thing to do, because now she knew nothing about breaking into hospitals, and even if she did, Paris was one _big_ city; she didn't even know how many hospitals were there and where, she didn't know where the blood bags were kept, she didn't speak the language to be able to find out, she didn't even know if compulsion worked in another language! So she avoided feeding altogether, drowning her thirst in alcohol. It helped a bit at first, but after a while, no amount of alcohol was going to actually satisfy it and she needed to feed. Fast. So she did what any reasonable vampire would do; she ran 20 miles to the nearest country side and fed on a bunny. _A bunny!_ She kept her tears at bay, because killing bunnies wasn't any less bad and it still made her feel like crap. Also, they were really, really tiny and didn't have nearly enough blood in them to feed a starving vampire who also happened to have ran 20 miles like an idiot, using all of her remaining energy. She would've hunted for another small animal, but it seemed as if they knew something was up and they ran for their lives, leaving the small forest deadly quiet.

And then she heard it.

_Dum du dum du dum du dum._

A human heartbeat.

It's like every nerve in her body responded to it and she was flashing through the woods before she even knew what was happening. A girl, not much younger than herself, was trekking on the muddy path nearby. She forced herself to take deep breaths, to calm down, but she had been without blood for too long; her skin was pale white and her gums hurt like hell. She was going to have to do this, she realised. One small bite to satisfy the cravings, heal her, compel her and she'll be on her way. She got this, she's strong and in control. Except her face was already transforming, her fangs emerged and the veins beneath her eyes crept down her cheeks. _One small bite, Caroline. One small bite._

_._

She killed her.

One small bite was not enough. She wanted more, her whole being wanted more. So she took more and more and even when she heard the once strong heartbeat become faint and weak, she didn't stop. She kept going until there was no more blood and no more heartbeat.

As the girl's lifeless body dropped to dirt, Caroline dropped with her, cradling the girl's cold head in her lap. Tears were streaming down her face as she gently stroked the grey skin on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" she whispered.

*.*.*.*.*

He could instantly feel the sudden change in the air. It felt less..suffocating. Standing up slowly, he approached the invisible barrier, lifting his hand and sliding it through the air along, but not quite touching, the ghostly wall. He couldn't feel the peculiar buzzing of energy anymore; it was as if there was nothing there. But he knew it couldn't be, the moon still hung high and strong in the midnight sky, its fullness only barely concaving; yet when he made another slow step and moved his hand just slightly forward – it went through. Letting out a deep breath he didn't even realise he was holding, he made another slow step and another, until the Gilbert living room was very much behind him. Then, in a flash, he was gone.

*.*.*.*.*

Tyler sat on his large couch, in his large living room, in his large mansion – all alone. Three empty bottles of whisky rested on the floor beside him and he was half way through the fourth one. To say he was hammered would be an understatement. He, however, welcomed the buzzing in his head with open hands. At least the sound it made wasn't bothering him, unlike the echoes of his footsteps that followed him as he went through the empty house.

Gone. They were all gone. His dad. Mason. His mum. His pack. _Caroline._ The part of his brain that suspected her death has been muted for a while now. After all, how surprising it really was that another person he cared about died and left him to cope with the aftermath. But there was _no one_ left now. No one to help him get through it, not even Hayley, who he couldn't even look at right now, yet who used to be his close friend. But she too disappeared. She might as well be dead; Klaus is surely going to find her. Just like he was going to find him.

It's said that the mere thought, summons the devil himself. Tyler shuddered and finished the bottle before tossing it towards the fireplace. It barely reached it with his drunken strength. He should know, the stories and myths aren't _just stories_ to cure the boredom and there's always some truth in them.

And surely enough, his numb senses soon caught the dark chuckle behind him, making him jump from the couch before tripping on his own feet and falling to the ground. He looked up, catching those icy eyes emerging from the shadow in the back of the room.

"Looks like you're the pathetic one now, mate."

"Go on, get on with it. Kill me. My head is hurting enough already without your voice annoying it further." Tyler knew words were all he had as he lay embarrassingly on the floor, his own hands struggling to hold him up, so he planned to defy him with them as much as he could. He will not give him the satisfaction of seeing him beg. He will not be his little bitch ever again.

"For such a big boy, you sure can't hold your liquor." Klaus laughed at him before sitting on the couch Tyler previously occupied and bringing his feet on the coffee table in front of it.

Tyler said nothing, but continued to glare at him.

Klaus' eyes looked around the room amusingly until he spotted a photo frame beside him. Those bright blue eyes stared at him from a piece of paper like they never did in reality, full of joy and genuine happiness. He picked it up, looking at the captivating smile that beamed at someone who wasn't him. Her golden curls sparkled in the sunshine as she sat in grass, not a single worry on her beautiful face. The amused smile long gone from his own face, he continued to look at the girl who could neither be his nor could he bear to have her anywhere but by his side. She was a weakness, a liability. She would take him down, be his demise, and she wasn't even his to begin with.

Tyler seemed to notice him take the photo and immediately struggled to get up. "Don't touch that" he snarled, finally getting up to his wobbly feet and attempting to take the frame from Klaus' hands.

"Ooh, touchy" Klaus laughed, the evil grin back on his face, as he easily moved the object away from Tyler's reach. "I'm assuming you're not over her yet" he added, fully enjoying Tyler's pained face.

"Put it down or I swear I'll –"

"You'll what Tyler?" he asked. He got up from the couch and walked to the swaying hybrid, coming face to face with him. "You're in no position to make any threats." he told him darkly. "Honestly, you _are_ pathetic. Look at you, can't even drink like a man" he chuckled before adding with a serious face "A boy would never have been enough for her and you know it; in fact you should be thankful she'll never live to realise that and..what was the word you young lot use these days?" he pretended to think for a moment before comically putting an 'aha!' face. "Oh that's right, she'd _dump_ you" he finished, grinning like a child on Christmas day at the look on Tyler's face. The latter snarled and raised a fist, ready to jam it into Klaus' jaw, but he was no match for him and soon he found himself pressed against a wall, his feet barely touching the floor as Klaus' hand held his neck in a deathly grip.

"That was a mistake" the original hybrid growled as he shoved his other hand in Tyler's chest, squeezing his heart.

He wanted so badly just to rip it out and be done with it, but those damn words rang in his ears and he just couldn't shake them off.

"_You can't kill Tyler" she whispered as she reached the doorway, ready to leave; to disappear. _

"_Not only can I, I have to. I have a reputation to uphold. Moreover, I want to" he replied coolly._

"_I'm not asking you to forgive him. All I'm asking is that you let him live, please."_

"_So he gets to live a happy life after he turned all my hybrids against me, after he tried to kill me, after he made it his life's mission to find the cure so he could use it against me" he snarled._

"_You took everything from him. Now you're taking me away. He will hardly live a happy life, but I need him to live, please. If you do care for me at all, do this for me. Show him the mercy that I may show you in the future, should our paths ever cross again" she begged quietly. She had no doubt they would meet again, a year or a century from now. She knew he would find her. She looked him pleadingly in the eyes one last time before turning around and quickly leaving the house without waiting to hear his reply._

Damn her.

Even when miles away, she still manages to invade his thoughts.

Sighing inwardly, he looked at Tyler who had turned a dark shade of blue; between the choking and the squeezing of his life organ, he was barely staying alive.

Muttering angrily to himself, he squeezed that damn heart just a fraction more, making Tyler yelp loudly, before removing his hand from his chest. His other arm, however, still remained around his neck as his moved in closer. "You're lucky I enjoy a good hunt" he hissed dangerously. "Consider this me giving you a head start before catching you and tearing you apart. And next time, at least _try_ to put up a fight; you're killing all of my fun" he added boringly before releasing his neck.

Tyler's eyes widened as he stared at him in bewilderment. "You're letting me go? Just like that?" he asked sceptically.

"You're tempting fate Tyler" Klaus glowered, pure rage on his face. "Now get out of my sight before I skin you alive."

_Damn her. _

Tyler wasted no time and was gone in an instant.

_Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! _

He picked up the empty bottles and launched them at the glass door on the other side of the room, shattering them all to pieces. The coffee table was next, whose fate was similar as it got slammed to the wall, destroying the antique vases on a small cabinet bellow along with itself. His arms shook with anger as he continued to destroy ever piece of furniture in the Lockwood living room.

This was test number one. Simply kill the boy. He'd done it more times than he can even remember; they were mostly irrelevant faces, simply in the wrong time at the wrong place; they did nothing more than look at him wrongly or said something they shouldn't have. Or sometimes, they were very much important and significant kills; he was glad the memory of Mikael's burning body was still safely carved in his brain. The point was he had no problem ending a life, whether it was for feeding, pleasure, revenge or pure boredom, he killed and he _enjoyed_ it. Yet when he's supposed to kill _a pup_, with more reasons than anyone to have his heart ripped out, he backed down. He _fucking_ backed down because of _her_.

This was test number one and he failed it.

He continued to trash the room, screaming with rage and breaking both the furniture and the skin of his hands until there was no whole piece left.

Apart from one.

He picked up the photo frame beneath the crumbled pieces and wiped the dust off the glass protecting the photo.

"What have you done to me?" he asked the motionless girl in a whisper.

With shaky fingers he opened the back and removed the photo from inside. He tossed the frame in the cold fireplace, not once wincing throughout his tantrum as yet another object shattered to pieces. His mind joined it as all reason fell apart and he folded the photo in half and placed it inside his jacket. He walked out of the broken room feeling quite broken himself.

* * *

**Please tell me what you're thinking cause I'm kinda freaking out here.**


	2. Chapter 2

**.**

**Chapter 2**

**.**

He watched the house burn to the ground. So apparently, the gang was back in town. His vampire senses caught onto the smell of burning flesh and it didn't take too long to realise what had happened. It didn't matter to him; it was one less Gilbert to kill, and if Elena wasn't in there, there's only one other place she would be.

He took his time approaching the Boarding house, coming up with all the different torture methods he could punish the baby vampire with. After the Tyler fiasco, he would have to redeem himself.

He could hear the muffled voices as he neared the house. _Good, they were home_, he thought to himself. Not bothering with knocking, he entered the house and slammed the door behind him. "Knock, knock. The big bad hybrid in the house!" he chuckled to himself as he watched the love triangle rush into the room.

"Klaus" Stefan was first to speak, a slight shock on his face.

"Hello Stefan" he replied cheerfully. "How's my baby sister?"

"Well with a crazy resurrected Silas and a few hunters running around the island, probably not too well" the older Salvatore replied instead.

A dark shadow passed over Klaus' face as he turned around to face Damon. "What did you say?" he growled at him.

"He said that your sister is most likely dead right now or about to be" Elena said in an uninterested voice with a shrug.

Damon was up against a wall in a flash, with a hand around his neck and Klaus' raging face mere inches from his. "You left her there?!" he screamed at him.

"Sort..of..?" Damon choked out.

Klaus' whole body shook with uncontrolled rage and he was seconds away from ending him. "I am going to tear your apart, limb by limb until you're begging for death and then I'm going to do it all over again" he said icily, his voice barely above a whisper as his mind controlled itself before it all ended too quickly. He tightened his hold on his neck, preventing him from whatever pathetic remark he was coming up with.

"Stop" Stefan interrupted. "I talked to Rebekah earlier, she's fine. Pissed off, but fine."

"Oh how very caring of you" Klaus said sarcastically, but loosened his grip slightly.

Stefan ignored him and continued speaking as if he'd said nothing. "She also had some information about Silas" he said in a serious voice. "He's here."

This time Klaus' grip loosened completely and he let go of Damon as he turned around to face Stefan. "What do you mean he's here?" he growled.

"She thinks he might've manifested as Shane, taking his body shape" Stefan continued. "He's here, in Mystic Falls."

"And why exactly haven't you killed him yet then?" Klaus asked. Why were they here talking to him instead of getting rid of _it?_

"We were just talking about it before you barged in here!" Damon answered.

"Well this is no concern of mine. I'm leaving Mystic Falls anyway, so I guess you'll have to deal with it on your own" Klaus smirked. He wasn't going to bother with some _Silas_ spreading havoc in Mystic Falls. After all, it was common occurrence here and there was nothing tying him to this pony town anyway.

"Leaving so soon?" Damon asked with a smirk of his own. "Got tired of Caroline's rejection, did you?"

Klaus' smirk flattered, but only barely. "Oh about that, she's dead."

He was met with deadly silence.

"What?" Stefan finally uttered.

"Yes, you see, I killed her."

"YOU WHAT?!" Stefan lounged at him pressing him against the far opposite wall, both hands trying to squeeze the life out of him, but it was more like an uncomfortable tickle for Klaus.

"Step away, Stefan" he growled.

"What did you do to her?" Stefan growled back, not moving an inch.

"I bit her."

Damon was by their side in a flash, his eyes wide. "You sick son of a bitch" he uttered.

"Why?" It was Stefan's turn again.

"So many questions! I told you to step away, Stefan. I won't say it again" he hissed and pushed Stefan away from him. "She became arrogant. Although I liked her feisty, she should have minded her tongue. So many harsh words" he tsked with a fake hurt face. "Oh and I had a point to prove to Tyler. Quite arrogant himself."

"Tyler? What did you do to Tyler?" Stefan pressed on, disbelief and hurt on his face. _Caroline couldn't be dead._

"Ah, I didn't do anything quite unfortunately. He ran away." At the look of bewilderment on both Salvatores' faces he added, "Don't worry, I'll catch him." He winked.

"You're a psychopath" Stefan whispered.

"You figured that one out just now?" Klaus laughed. It was a dark, maniac laugh and both Salvatores shuddered at the sound of it.

"Where's her body?" Damon asked quietly.

Klaus gulped down unnoticeably. "Burned it." He glanced up at Stefan. "Seemed appropriate after what Elena and Jeremy did to my brother" he said quietly. Lying about this proved to be a bit more difficult than he thought, not because he felt _bad_ about it, but because he cringed at the mental image of Caroline's body burning somewhere. He was an idiot. He sent her all alone to _god knows where_ without any combat skills whatsoever and still feeding off of blood bags! _You idiot._

Before anyone could notice his internal battle, he snapped out of it and his gaze caught Elena's as she still remained where she had been when he arrived. _Almost forgot about her. _He focused and noticed that something about her seemed.._off_. Her stare was only slightly disturbed, as opposed to what he would've expected from her and her usual emotional outbursts. "Well aren't you awfully quiet" he told her. "Aren't you supposed to be screaming at me for killing your best friend?"

Elena only shrugged and walked slowly to the couch before sitting down. She didn't look unaffected, but she definitely didn't look like she cared all that much. _What the..?_

Klaus looked slightly shocked for a moment before laughing loudly. Three pair of eyes looked at him like he was crazy. "You turned it off" he said with a huge grin on his face. "What do you know, perfect Elena, saviour of the cursed and the damned, turned off her humanity!" He laughed again before adding, "well this is certainly an interesting turn of events."

She sent a sarcastic smile his way, but remained silent.

The heavy silence stretched between them again. He could practically feel the anger radiating from Stefan; he knew he wanted to kill him right then and there for what he supposedly did to Caroline, but he also knew that he couldn't do anything about it. None of them could, and they all knew it too.

_Unless.._

"What happened to the cure?" he asked suddenly. If Silas was roaming around alive, that means it hadn't been used on him and everyone here was a vampire, or well, a hybrid, so that would leave.. "Is Rebekah – "

"Still very much a vampire." Damon bit out.

He sighed in relief. The mere thought of Rebekah becoming human, growing old, _dying_ and _leaving him_ was too horrific to even think about. He could handle her daggered where he could wake her whenever he wanted, but Rebekah not existing in this world at all was just not an option. No matter what he'd told her. He would not let her leave him.

"So where is it?" he asked again.

"So many questions!" Damon said mockingly and was met with an evil glare from Klaus. "Why should we tell you anything?"

"Because I'll just torture it out of you if you don't" Klaus shrugged as if it was obvious.

"Well you're gonna do it anyway, so might as well get your hands dirty" Damon raised his eyebrows at him daringly and his back met the wall in a flash once again.

"Don't play games with me Damon. I am most certainly not in the mood" he growled at him, his hand gripping his neck again.

"Oh is the big bad hybrid getting angsty without Vampire Barbie around?" Damon asked in a mocking baby voice and laughing humourlessly before choking when the grip on his neck tightened and a dangerous growl came from Klaus. "I honestly can't believe you did it. To Caroline of all people. Then again, a man's ego can only take so much." He grinned at his face and watched as rage flashed in his eyes.

Fearing for his brother's life, Stefan stepped in again. "Enough" he said. "Damon just tell him so he can get the hell out of here."

"Why? We were having a nice chit chat" Damon chocked out; the grip on his neck was getting dangerously close to snapping it.

"Damon" Stefan growled and his eyes bore into his brother's. _Just do it. I can't lose you too. _There was honestly nothing stopping Klaus from ending them all now.

He hesitated for a moment before huffing loudly. "Fine" he said and pushed Klaus' chest to move him away but Klaus wouldn't budge. He remained where he was, only loosening his hold a bit and looking at him expectantly.

"Remember good old Katherine? She stopped by the island for a quick visit. Took the cure and ran away."

Klaus hissed angrily and cursed under his breath. "You doppelgangers are constant thorns in my side. I should've gotten rid of you the minute you stopped being of use to me." His eyes found Damon's again. "How did she know?"

Damon hesitated for a moment, deciding whether or not to talk further.

"Apparently she and Tyler's wolf friend have been working behind the scenes for a while now" he eventually continued.

"Hayley?" Klaus growled. "Where is she?"

Again, Damon hesitated and Klaus let out a frustrated growl. "_Damon._ Where is she?" he asked again through gritted teeth.

He remained silent, looking at Klaus as a million thoughts raced through his head. Finally, he replied silently "New Orleans. She's in New Orleans."

_New Orleans._ The little wolf chose the wrong city to hide in.

He let go of Damon and took a step back, his head hanging low in deep thought.

Three pairs of eyes followed him as he paced around the Salvatore's living room until he finally stopped and looked at Damon. "You're going to go get Rebekah back" he told him.

Damon's eyes widened and he looked at him like he was crazy. "Am I? Cause I don't think I'm getting anywhere near that creepy island ever again" he smiled at him humourlessly.

"You're the one that left her there!" Klaus glowered at him. "And it was not a request."

"You sure? Cause maybe if you add a 'please' –" Klaus launched forward with a murderous face, but Stefan's voice stopped him.

"I'll go."

"You'll what?!" Damon yelled at him, but Klaus only smirked.

They heard a scoff behind them and they all looked at Elena who was sitting on a couch and looking disbelievingly at Stefan.

Klaus arched an eyebrow at him, his smirk widening. Stefan ignored them both and looked at Klaus. "I'll go" he said again.

"Fine" Klaus replied. "But don't bother showing up without her or you'll see just how much of a psychopath I am."

"Fine" Stefan bit back. "Now get the hell out of my house."

Klaus put a hand over his heart in a feigned hurt. "You hurt my feelings Stefan" he said but moved towards the exit. "Consider your deaths postponed" he said. _Priorities_. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a phone call to make and a long lost doppelganger to find. " He turned around and left. Damon muttered "I hope she shoves it down your throat" angrily behind him that was followed by "I heard that" from the outside.

*.*.*.*.*

_What have I done?_ She thought to herself, over and over again. Those four words haven't left her alone ever since she fled the woods, leaving the cold body on the ground. She just _fled_. Didn't even try to bury it, she couldn't.

_What have I done?_

She sat in her expensive hotel room, the big curtains drawn shut on the tall windows making it almost completely dark inside. Her back was against the wooden headboard, as she hugged her knees to herself and sobbed quietly on the big bed.

She was so good at it! She was the example of a _good_ vampire. The one _in control_. The most _human_ of them all.

And now she killed someone.

She swore to herself, ever since that horrible night at the carnival where she almost got murdered herself, she swore she was never going to kill an innocent ever again. And she didn't. Until now.

_What have I done? _

The guilt was unbearable. It was eating her from the inside and she just wanted it to stop. _Make it stop, please make it stop._

She stared at her cell phone on the night table beside her and fresh tears came running down her cheeks. She couldn't call anyone. She wanted Tyler, or Stefan. She _needed_ Stefan to tell her everything was going to be okay again, that he was going to take care of her. But Stefan wasn't there and she couldn't call him; she couldn't get past the invisible pull telling her she can't contact anyone. No notes, no messages, nothing.

_That bastard. _

She hated him. She hated him so much for what he did to her. Anger consumed her and she grabbed a pillow and pressed it to her face as she screamed in rage. She cursed him and she cried. And then repeated the process. Somewhere along the way she ripped apart the pillow and fell asleep exhausted and covered in feathers.

*.*.*.*.*

Klaus stepped outside the Salvatore house and retrieved his phone from the back pocket. He waited until he was far enough where he couldn't be overheard before dialling a number. It picked up on the second ring. "_What?_" the voice said.

"I need you to do something for me" he replied.

*.*.*.*.*

She remained in the hotel room for two more days, never moving from her position on the bed. She knew it wasn't the smartest idea to starve herself again, but she didn't have it in her to go out. She felt broken, and she was all alone. The guilt was still very much there and the blank eyes of the girl she murdered haunted her everytime she closed her own. She almost couldn't handle it. _Almost_.

She could feel the famous switch in the back of her mind, just begging to be turned off, but she wasn't going to do it. Her humanity is all she had left. He took everything from her, her family, her friends and her home. He wasn't going to have this as well, even though it wasn't him who made her kill the girl; he still sent her here and it was all his fault indirectly. Telling herself that was how she coped. She had to blame someone and he was the obvious choice, and definitely the most deserving one.

She thought about Tyler. Was he dead? _No, he can't be._ But she knew it was an option. Klaus would be out of the Gilbert house by now and if he chose to ignore her pleads, Tyler would be dead now. She could feel new tears threatening to spill as she thought about it so she decided not to. She had to hope. She had to think positive or she would explode.

She also thought of Stefan. While Elena and Bonnie were distancing themselves, Stefan was becoming closer to her. He was there from the very beginning and he stood by her no matter what. He was her mentor and in the last few months he became her best friend. Turning off her humanity would feel like throwing away everything he helped her with, especially when she knew the problems he had with his own. No, she couldn't do that. She wouldn't disappoint him; _she couldn't._

She also couldn't stay in this room forever. Enough was enough.

Thinking about her friends made her realise that even though Klaus took everything from her, she still had another thing left. Herself. She was certain he would come looking for her and would eventually find her, but she wasn't going to make it easy for him. For she was sure if he were to find her, he would never let her go again.

Determined, she got up from her bed and headed for a shower.

*.*.*

An hour later she was checked out of the hotel, her large handbag on her shoulder and on her way to the airport. She had taken as much cash as possible from his credit card before destroying it. He may think tracking her down would be easy, but not if Caroline had anything to do about it.

Two hours and a bit of compulsion later, she was on a plane. Paris would be the obvious and first choice to look for her, so she had to leave; not that she was reluctant. She wanted as far away as possible from that damn city. She, however, needed _some_ familiarity and the language was the only thing available at the moment, so she chose her next destination easily.

_London, here I come._

*.*.*.*.*

He sat at the bar, drinking his scotch slowly. He was becoming agitated due to his sister still not being back with Stefan, no word from Elijah even after he called him a dozen times, and _her_. He couldn't help thinking about her. Where she was, what she was doing, if she was okay. He still thought he was an idiot for just sending her off like that; it was an impulsive decision, a reckless one. Yet he knew it was for the best. He was safe and so was she. At least he hoped so. Everyone who knew of his.._interest_ in her, thought she was dead. No one would be looking for her, he made sure of it. Apart from himself, when the time's right.

He groaned inwardly at the sound of chair being moved beside him and the older Salvatore placing himself there.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you'd be on your way chasing Katherine by now" Damon asked.

"Oh I don't have to chase her. She either wants to bargain with me or foolishly attempt to shove it down my throat. Either way, she'll come to me. Plus, I'm waiting for my sister to come back" he replied.

"What about the wolf girl?"

"I'm dealing with her" Klaus smirked and Damon didn't want to ask what that meant.

"So while you're here, how about you pass some time by helping me kill Silas?" he asked nonchalantly.

Klaus scoffed. "You want _me_ to help _you_? After you lot killed my brother, imprisoned me and abandoned my sister on a deserted island? Un-bloody-likely."

"Come on, this as much of a threat to you as it is to us" Damon pushed.

"I really don't see how it is. I'm pretty much indestructible" Klaus smiled at him.

"But your siblings aren't. And have I mentioned that Bonnie wants to sacrifice twelve people to bring back Jeremy along with the rest of the dead supernatural world?" Damon asked innocently.

"She what?!" he growled.

"Ah, I see I have your attention" Damon said mockingly. "I guess you wouldn't want all of the creatures you killed in your 1,000 years back, including your daddy."

Klaus growled and grabbed Damon by his collar, bringing him closer. "You better explain. Now" he threatened.

"It's quite simple actually. Bonnie opens the portal thingie between the living and the dead supernatural world and they all come back as they wish."

"_Every_ supernatural being that _ever_ died?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Apparently so" Damon replied slowly. "Wait, what are you thinking?" he asked suspiciously.

Kol. He was thinking about Kol. His baby brother who spent most of his existence annoying him and getting into trouble, yet he couldn't imagine him not existing at all. And he died. They killed him, but now he can get him back.

His face was completely emotionless when he spoke again. "Thank you Damon, you have been most helpful. We'll keep in touch" he said blankly and got up to leave.

"Wait, what are you thinking?" Damon asked, already panicking. "You aren't planning on bringing back that psycho brother of yours, are you?" _He can't be that mad! Oh wait, he is._ Damon jumped from his chair, but Klaus pushed him back.

"We'll keep in touch, Damon" he said again. "Enjoy your drink."

And with that he was gone.

"Fuck!" Damon yelled, making a few other patrons at the Grill look at him.

He picked up his cell phone and dialled his brother's number. Stefan's voiced answered on the third ring. "What is it?" he asked.

"We may have a teeny tiny problem" Damon replied.

*.*.*.*.*

"Elijah damn it, pick up your bloody phone!" he yelled to his brother's voicemail for what seemed like one hundredth time.

He was strolling down the streets of Mystic Falls, his head buzzing with thoughts. _Was bringing Kol back really a possibility?_ If what Damon said was true, it was. But at what price? The moment he thought of it he realised he didn't care. Anything to erase the image of his burning brother from his head. Making up his mind, he walked faster with a goal. Reaching the steps of the humble house, he climbed them and knocked urgently on the door. Five, then ten seconds passed before the door opened and revealed the girl behind them, looking at him suspiciously. "What do _you _want?" she asked.

"Hello Bonnie. I think you and I need to have a little chat."

*.*.*.*.*

"Are you going to answer that? It keeps ringing" she asked, glancing at the phone on the desk between them.

"No, it's him. I don't know what to tell him yet."

"So does that mean you are thinking about my suggestion?"

"It might."

She smirked, satisfied with his answer.

"Well then, how about you and I talk some more business?" she asked as she got up from her chair across him. "Or not" she added as she sat on the desk in front of him, her long legs at his full display.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took a while, but I merged two chapters into one so you'll have more to read :) Also, a bit OOC Klaus (or rather 'in character' in my head) but I imagine his and Kol's relationship to be a lot deeper than it may have been on the show (and we never saw any flashbacks with Kol, so my head came up with it on its own). Another thing to have in mind, Klaus literally watched his brother burn without being able to do _anything_ about it. He just stood there helpless and I think it had to affect him a lot (especially the way he screamed at the Gilberts after) unlike Rebekah who only heard about it later. I want you to keep these things in mind for the following chapter.**

**Also, since this is a specific kind of AU where Caroline is away, I apologise for lack of Klaroline atm. I try to incorporate both Klaus and Caroline in every chapter so you won't miss either and even place tiny bits of the other in eachother's thoughts, but I can't do more than that cause I want this story to happen at a believable pace. I hope you can forgive me and bare with me in the meantime.**

**Tell me whatever you think; if it's boring, OOC, plain stupid, IDEK, just tell me what you think, cause you guys are the ones who read this and I write it for you. **

**That said, I want to thank everyone who followed and favourited both this story and Can't Let You Be My Weakness, it really means a lot and the ones who even took the time to review them are truly the best **

**EDIT:**** Another really important thing I completely forgot to write xD This was written way before 4x17 aired (part of it was written before 4x16 too) and while I've considered editing it all and making it more like canon, I decided I can't bother because I'm going off canon anyway, so things are going to be different than how they happened on the show. Hope you can look past that and keep in mind this is an AU FANfic.**


	3. Chapter 3

**.**

**Chapter 3**

**.**

Bonnie looked at him with wide eyes. "What would you and I have to talk about?" she asked.

"Oh I think I have something in mind" he replied with a smile. "May I come in?"

"No" she replied automatically.

"Fine" he said annoyed. "Would you like us to stand here all day then?"

"Yes, I prefer the door between us."

"_Bonnie_. Look, I come in piece" he said with a grin that didn't look too convincing, so Bonnie remained where she was.

He sighed exasperatingly. "Fine" he said again. "Where is Silas?" he went straight to the point.

Bonnie froze for a moment before putting on a blank face. "I don't know" she said emotionlessly.

"Come now Bonnie, let's not play games." His patience was growing thinner by the second. "Besides, I want to help you."

That threw Bonnie off and she looked at him in bewilderment. "You what?"

"I want to help you finish your spell and open the veil."

She looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know about that?" Before he could reply, she spoke again. "You know what, I don't care. I'm not doing it."

"Really? So you don't want to bring Jeremy back?" he asked.

She didn't even bother to ask how he knew all of that again, but merely looked at him with painful eyes. "I – no, I shouldn't. It's wrong" she said unconvincingly.

He didn't care about right or wrong, all he wanted was his brother back. He stepped closer, almost feeling the invisible barrier between them and spoke in a low voice. "You are powerful Bonnie. You shouldn't let anyone stand in your way of achieving what you want. You want Jeremy back don't you?" He looked pointedly at her, raising one eyebrow.

She stared back at him, hypnotised by his words and nodded slowly while chewing her bottom lip nervously. "Yes, but – "

"No 'buts', if you want something, you go for it. That is how you achieve greatness" he said in a sweet voice he saved only for special kinds of manipulations.

"What's in it for you?" she asked suspiciously again.

He shrugged. "You want your boyfriend back, I want my brother" he answered simply.

"There has to be another massacre."

"I have no problem completing several" he smirked.

She stared at him for a long time before speaking again. "Tonight at midnight, by the Falls. We'll be performing it there" she said quickly before moving to close the door.

"If it's a trap – " he began.

"Not a trap" was all she said before slamming the door in his face.

Tonight it was then.

*.*.*.*.*

She chose a hostel this time. When you have a limited, even if it's an obscene, amount of cash you have to spend wisely. This was not a vacation or a pleasure trip. She's supposed to survive on who knows how long on her own and she can't exactly get a job while she's on the run. Compulsion would be the very last resort and she'd use it only if absolutely necessary, at least that's what she repeatedly told herself.

Thinking about it, she realised there would be no "who knows how long" on her own. She knew exactly how long – forever. Or at least until Klaus found her. So it was basically be forever alone or be forever with Klaus. Her insides screamed at the thought and she visibly cringed. She would not allow it. Like he said that dreadful evening, if Tyler or her friends can't have her, neither can he. She had to figure out what exactly was she supposed to do for the rest of her life though.

But first, she needed a drink.

Her tourist self would have to wait until tomorrow, for now she needed one of those pubs and lots of alcohol.

It was exactly five minutes into her third compelled rum and coke (_Last resort, huh Caroline?_) when he approached her.

"Hello love."

She wanted to jump out of her skin at the pet name and the accent, but she ordered herself to calm down. _British men, Caroline. They all have accents._

She raised her head and looked at him. He was alright; nice features, light brown hair and striking green eyes. He wore a smirk that could be considered handsome if it wasn't annoying. "Can I help you?" she asked with a fake smile.

"Actually I was hoping I could I buy you a drink" he replied with a confident grin.

"_Actually_, I already have one" she said, raising her half full glass for him to see.

"Oh well, I'm sure I can get you the next one" her pressed on, sitting on the bar chair beside her.

She scowled inwardly. _Can none of these men take a hint?_ She thought of another British guy who just wouldn't back off.

And then he leaned in closer and his neck was at her full display with a vein throbbing with excitement. "What do you say beautiful?"

God she was hungry. She wanted to slam his head on the bar and drink from him right then and there, remembering what that girl fel – _No! You are not doing this again Caroline. No. N – _"Sure, why not" she replied instead, gulping down the remains of her glass.

His grin widened and he ordered her another one before getting a beer for himself. "So what's your name beautiful?" He asked, turning around to fully face her. "I'm Nick."

_Oh hell no._

The guy was cursed, honestly. He had to have bad fate. Why else would he stumble upon her of all people, and with that name of all the names in the world? _It is a fairly common name Caroline, _she thought to herself in return and felt like she was having a personality disorder.

"I need fresh air" she said as she stood up and then looked at him. "Are you coming or not?"

He looked stunned for a moment before putting on his cocky face once again. "Oh yeah."

They went for the exit and she could see him grinning at his friends as they gave him the thumbs up. She scoffed and rolled her eyes before hurrying outside. She could hear him following her as she turned for the first alley. After she went deep enough to remain unseen from the main street, she turned around and faced him. He had that stupid smirk on again and she fought hard not to slap it off. "You will not move. You will not make a single noise" she compelled and grabbed his collar. He was positively excited, judging by both his face and the bulge in his pants. She rolled her eyes and let her face transform while slamming him into a wall. Before he could register it, she had her fangs in his neck, ripping the skin open and drinking hungrily. His heart started beating faster as fear settled in and it only made his blood taste better in her mouth. She was not gentle, she didn't care. He was annoying and she was in a mood. _And his name was Nick_. She poured all her anger for another _Nik_ in her feeding and soon enough his heart was weak and his knees gave up on him. _This is the sign Caroline. Stop now or you'll kill him. Stop._ But she didn't stop. The guy went completely pale and unconscious.

"I would never have taken you for a ripper type."

She jumped and let go of the guy that slumped to the ground with a thud. She turned around and looked at the figure approaching her, her eyes wide and her body frozen like a deer in the headlights. Her mind went blank for a second before she snapped out of it and turned to the body on the ground. The man was completely drained of any colour and she couldn't even hear his heartbeat from where she was standing. "Please don't be dead" she pleaded in a whisper and she crouched down beside him, the man in the alley completely forgotten. "Please, please, please." She placed her hand on his chest and her own undead heart skipped a beat as she concentrated on his fading one. She sighed in relief before biting into her wrist fast and forcing her blood down his throat. The man coughed after a while and his eyes popped open. She concentrated on them and hurryingly compelled him. "Go home, this never happened."

She watched him get up and leave before her gaze fell on the figure watching her silently. "Who are you?" she asked quietly. He could be a vampire, a hunter or anything supernatural really and she really didn't like any option.

"I'm so sorry for interrupting your dinner" he said instead. "I was just honestly surprised. You really don't seem like the kill-and-toss-'em type."

She looked at him suspiciously before answering. "It's because I'm not. I'm sort of getting used to this, so I guess I should be thanking you for interrupting, otherwise I would have killed him." She gulped slowly, remembering the girl from Paris.

"Getting used to? So you're a new vampire?"

"Not exactly. I was just feeding from blood bags mostly." She wasn't comfortable letting this unknown man know exactly how young she was. He was already freaking her out.

Sensing her discomfort, he approached her slowly with an outstretched hand. "I'm so sorry, I'm Peter" he said politely.

Caroline still looked suspiciously at him before raising her hand and shaking his lightly. "Caroline."

"It's nice to meet you Caroline" he smiled at her.

"So you're a vampire?" she asked hesitantly.

He laughed lightly before realising she was serious. "Can't you tell?" he asked with wide eyes. _Pretty blue eyes_, she thought before she could stop herself.

"Of course I can" she said quickly. "I was just..making sure?" she awkwardly made it sound like a question.

He laughed again and she realised it wasn't uncomfortable or menacing. It was a light, almost friendly laugh. "How old exactly are you?"

She immediately regretted her thoughts and was on defensive mode again. "Does it matter?" she snapped.

"Hey, calm down. No, it doesn't matter" he said quietly and she calmed down just a little bit. "Look, I'm sorry if I freaked you out, it wasn't my intention. I just smelled the blood and it dragged me here."

She breathed once before speaking. "No, _I'm_ sorry" she apologised. "I'm just a little jumpy." _If only. _She was terrified of this Peter. She has never met a vampire outside Mystic Falls. Hell, _she's _never been outside Mystic Falls! And now here he was, and he wasn't a Salvatore or a Mikaelson and she didn't know how to act. Would he harm her? Kill her maybe? He didn't look like he would, but she knew better than to trust a pretty face.

"Okay, how about we go somewhere that isn't a dark alley? Maybe that pub around the corner?" he asked with a small smile.

_Okay, if he was going to kill me, he would have done it in the dark alley, not invite me to a public place_. Deep breaths. If she says no, he might get offended or angry. Again, he didn't look like it, but she wasn't willing to risk it. She found it funny that she was so scared of this one vampire, yet she spent months in the presence of several Originals and was even alone with the original hybrid himself several times. Then again, she had her friends there who would look for her if she had gone missing. Here, no one knew her and those friends of her thought she was dead. _Thanks to the original hybrid himself._ So she was kind of in a panic mode now. _Deep breaths._

He said nothing during her inner turmoil, waiting patiently for her reply.

Finally, she composed herself and threw on a small smile. "Maybe not the pub around the corner? I sort of picked up the guy from earlier there and his friends might get suspicious."

He grinned and nodded. "Then follow me. I know just the place."

Deep breaths.

She nodded and walked behind him.

*.*.*

She liked Peter.

Peter was a really nice guy.

Or more like a three hundred and eighty six-year-old nice vampire.

He took her to another pub, one that was more secluded but still fairly populated. He ordered them both hot chocolate ("Best hot chocolate you'll ever have in the whole United Kingdom!" he said with his thick accent) and he talked about himself mostly, making her more comfortable with him. He was from Manchester, although almost four hundred years later he couldn't really say he belonged anywhere. He travelled all around the world, although mostly Europe and north Africa. He's a bit of a loner, has no siblings and prefers to travel by himself.

She liked Peter because he made her relax. He also made her laugh after a week of being angry, terrified and lonely. He really was a nice guy. She realised he reminded her of Stefan a bit. Probably the reason she liked him so much so soon. He was also quite handsome, with his chocolate brown hair and pale blue eyes. They sparkled with excitement as he finished a story about one of his recent travels to a tribe on the outskirts of Sahara. "So how about you?" he asked after he was done. "What can you tell me about yourself Miss Caroline?

She froze and her smile fell from her face. What could she tell him about herself? She felt comfortable with him, yes, but he was still a stranger.

"You don't have to tell me your age" he said with a smile when he noticed her going quiet.

She laughed before sighing. "I'm forever seventeen, but not even nineteen yet" she said as she watched him nervously for his reaction.

"A minor! I am astonished" he said with a dramatic face. If he was truly shocked, he hid it well. "Good thing I didn't try to buy you a real drink" he winked at her and she laughed again. It was easy laughing with him.

"Well there you go. I have been a vampire for a little over a year and a half and this is actually my first time in the open world" she admitted. She also made it sound like a vacation; a young vampire experiencing the world. Not one compelled to leave her home by a thousand year old Original because he was _in love_ with her. She cringed at the thought.

"That explains your jumpiness" he said with a grin.

"Yeah, you freaked me out over there, jumping out of nowhere in a creepy alley" she teased.

"I did stop you from killing that poor guy" he defended himself.

Her smile flattered a bit at the memory. "Yes, you did. I didn't even properly thank you. So..thanks" she said with a small smile.

"Not a problem" he winked.

They continued talking for hours, mostly him and mostly about his adventures. Caroline was still hesitant and she needed time to be her usual talkative self. She told him the basic info; she was from a small town in Virgina and she had no siblings. She got tired of the dull town so she went to explore the world (_okay, so maybe she lied a little_).

"So earlier" she began after finishing her third cup of hot chocolate. _Where have you been all my life, you delicious cup of heaven?_ "When you asked me whether I could tell you were a vampire; what did you mean by that? How can I tell if someone's a vampire?" She was confused when he asked her, because all the vampires she met, she already _knew _were vampires before and didn't need to tell the difference. This however didn't work in 'the outside world' as she started calling it.

"Well do you not notice a difference between me and that human from earlier tonight?" he asked patiently. "Think about it. Use your instincts, your basic senses."

She concentrated, looking at him intensely. She focused on the things she knew were different about herself. The heartbeat. Her undead heart kept beating, but it was definitely not like her human had done. And she could hear it from Peter too. It was slightly..off. He was also right about using her instincts. On a first glance, he looked completely human, but when completely focused on him, her whole being screamed 'supernatural!' at her. How did she not notice this before? When she told him about the things she discovered, he nodded approvingly at her.

"You can also smell my blood. It's not quite the same as humans'. Although, it's still blood, but it's less..alluring. Your body doesn't react the same way; your instincts aren't to drain me dry" he said. "Most of the times anyway" he added teasingly.

They talked some more before she realised it was almost midnight. She obviously didn't have any time restrictions, but she had been on a plane today and she was exhausted. Paris felt like days ago, not mere hours.

"I like you, we should hang out more" he said bluntly as they walked down the streets of London. "As friends" he added quickly.

She laughed at him before nodding. "I'd like that. As friends" she grinned.

"Alright then" he grinned as well.

After exchanging numbers he waved at her and began walking away. "I'll see you soon Caroline."

"See you soon Peter."

He looked behind his shoulder, checking if she was out of sight before pulling out his cell phone again and typing a message.

*.*.*.*.*

His phone beeped once signalling one new message. Picking it up from beside him, he looked at it and smiled.

_'Found her.'_

_*.*.*.*.*_

_Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. _

Klaus was nervous. There aren't a lot of things that could actually make him nervous, but bringing his dead brother back from _the other side_ kind of did. It was not like all those other times when he'd dagger him and he could wake him up when he wanted. Kol was actually dead this time. Gone. And now he was planning on bringing him back, yet he had no actual control of it. It was all up to Bonnie and_ Silas_, and Klaus was nervous. Because he was all about control and now he had none.

It was almost midnight and he was ready to go.

It was exactly midnight when he reached the Falls.

He could see Bonnie and professor Shane, or actually Silas, standing on a clearing. There were twelve people trapped in a drawn circle behind them.

It was happening.

He made a step towards them, before there was a gush of wind and a twirl of blonde hair, and soon enough a girl was blocking him.

"Rebekah" he breathed out in relief. _She was safe._ And in his way.

"Nik, what the hell are you doing?!" she asked, panic obvious in her voice.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing'? I'm bringing Kol back" he replied as it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Move out of the way, Bekah." He couldn't understand why she was stopping him.

"You know you can't do that Nik" she whispered as the first tears glistened in her eyes.

He noticed Bonnie and Silas lifting their eyes at them and then walking closer.

"What the bloody hell are you on about Rebekah?" he growled at her, not liking this at all. "It's Kol. We can bring him back!"

"Don't you think I want to see him again?" she screamed at him. "More than anything in the world! But at what price?" Tears were now falling freely down her face as she struggled to keep him still. "You'd bring back _every_ dead supernatural creature from the past one thousand years, Nik! Including mother and father and thousands of others you and me _and Kol_ have killed. We wouldn't survive that. None of us would" she whispered. It was odd that she was the one convincing him of this, when she was usually the one doing anything for love, both familial and romantic. But she already lost Kol, she couldn't lose him all over again and then lose Nik and Elijah too.

"You don't mean that, do you sister?" a voice asked behind them.

Both Klaus and Rebekah froze as if they were made of stone. Gulping loudly, she slowly turned around.

Next to Bonnie stood a familiar face, looking very much alive.

"Kol" she heard Klaus breathe behind her.

"Hello, brother" he smiled, but there was something off about him.

It took her a second to realise professor Shane aka Silas was nowhere in sight.

"No, Nik, he's not real" she began, but Klaus was already sidestepping her and walking towards him.

He couldn't believe his eyes. His little brother was standing in front of him, alive and well, not a single trace of burns on his skin. He could barely register what Rebekah was screaming behind him.

"Nik, please! He's not real" she tried again.

"Of course I am. Don't I look real, _Nik_?" _Silas_ Kol asked, but it didn't even sound like him. His voice was the same, but it missed all the cockiness and the amusement Kol always had. She placed the back of her hand against her mouth to try and stifle the choking sobs that threatened to escape. He still did look very much real and it _hurt_.

Klaus paused half way towards them. _He looked real. Very real, _he thought.

"Help us out, won't you Nik?" he asked again. "We just need to kill those twelve people over there so I can be back for good."

"Nik..don't.." Rebekah sobbed behind him.

His eyes shifted from the little group of twelve people, to a crying Rebekah behind him and back to _Kol_. He was conflicted. He knew the spell wasn't done yet and in the back of his mind he knew this wasn't actually Kol, but he looked so real and he wasn't on fire and screaming as his flesh burned and Klaus needed _this_ image. He needed to see him like this, even if it wasn't Kol; anything to erase even the tiniest bit of reality.

He made a slow step forward and Rebekah cried out behind him. Silas made a small triumphant smirk as he looked at him expectantly. There was something very satisfactory in making the biggest baddest hybrid do your biddings. It was proof that he too could be controlled just as easily as ordinary humans.

Klaus stared blankly ahead. _He was going to do this_, he thought; he was going to let all hell loose, _literally_. Making another slow step forward he inched closer to the small circle of terrified looking people.

"Niklaus."

He froze mid-air at the sound before turning around in a blur, his eyes wide. "Elijah."

"That's enough" he said sharply. "Snap out of it, he's manipulating you."

Klaus blinked a few times before the fog in his mind cleared and he turned to look at Silas pretending to be his brother.

A second passed.

'Kol' opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance as Klaus flashed the remaining distance and plunged a hand in his chest before extracting his heart. Rebekah screamed behind him, Elijah sighed and Klaus watched his brother's body fall lifelessly to the ground, his heart dead and black in his hand.

Well. That definitely replaced the image of Kol's burning body and rotting corpse. Now he had a mental image of _him_ permanently ending his brother's life himself. _What a joy_.

The heart dropped to the ground with a splatting sound and he turned around from the whole scene and began walking away.

"Nik, wait" he heard Rebekah say, but he ignored her and continued walking until he was no longer in their sight.

"Let him be Rebekah" Elijah told her as he walked over to stand next to her. Elijah was not one for physical display of affection, none of her brothers were. Or had been. She only had one other left and most times he lacked any affection at all.

"He's going to come back you know" they heard a voice say. Looking up, they saw Bonnie standing next to Kol's body, her eyes staring at it with a strange expression. "Silas" she elaborated. "He'll just find another body, this isn't over."

They couldn't quite decipher whether she wanted that to happen or not, so they stayed in silence for a while.  
It was Rebekah who broke it. "We should go" she said quietly and walked in the direction Klaus took earlier.

*.*.*

They found him in his mansion's living room, boxes around him as he flashed in and out, bringing more things with him.

"What are you doing?" Rebekah asked in a slightly pitched voice, even though it was quite obvious.

"We're leaving" he said emotionlessly.

"What? No!"

"Don't be difficult Rebekah. There's nothing keeping us here any longer."

"Maybe not to you! After all, you killed the only girl that could possibly mean anything to you!"

If she thought Klaus would retaliate, she was wrong. He completely ignored her words and kept packing.

Elijah shifted uncomfortably next to them. "Caroline's dead?" he asked.

"Trivial matters brother. What are you doing here anyway?" Klaus asked and paused to look at his brother. Not that he wasn't glad to see him, but after disappearing for months and ignoring his calls lately, he figured Elijah was in one of those moods where he ignores him for a couple of decades before cooling down.

"Rebekah called me, after Damon informed Stefan of your little plan."

"Oh so you're answering _her_ calls. I'm offended brother" he replied in a mock hurtful voice while completely disregarding his mentions of earlier events.

It was stupid, it was out of character and it reminded him exactly why he didn't bother to care. Caring was a weakness and tonight he looked weak. Silas may have fogged his mind at one point, but it was still his stupid notion to show up there because of his foolish belief he could see his brother again. Kol was dead. The end. He had two images in his mind to prove that.

Elijah said nothing as he stared at his brother. The thing with Klaus was that he never once turned off his emotions in his one thousand years of life. He didn't need to. Grief was not something he felt often, if ever. Anger fuelled him and he enjoyed it. Fear he felt only of their father and it's what kept him on the run and alive. He never felt loss. It helped that the very few people in his life that he cared about were practically invincible. So Niklaus was very much in control of the emotions other vampires usually flipped their switch for. Until now. Finn, he got over, but Elijah knew Klaus cared about Kol more than he had let on. Kol was a wandering soul, not one for settling down in one place for too long. He roamed around the world and occasionally he would visit and then he and Klaus had one of their many bloodsheds, leaving a trail of dead girls and empty bottles behind them, usually for Elijah to clean up. The two of them were very much alike, more than either would've cared to admit, ever. He knew this had hit him hard. Seeing his empty face now made him realise that no one would want to see Klaus without his emotions. Then again, maybe there wouldn't even be a difference, but he definitely didn't want to test that theory.

"Well are you two just going to stand there all night?" Klaus asked annoyed. He didn't like the look his brother was casting him, like he was psychoanalysing him and looking into his 'deep wounded soul'. He scoffed inwardly. There was nothing wounded about him. He was done. Done with this bloody town and all its citizens. He was done with everything that had to do with it and every memory attached to it. As if on cue, the photograph he now constantly carried in his jacket started weighing a ton, but he snapped out of it and continue his urgent packing.

"I'm not going" Rebekah said stubbornly.

Klaus laughed humourlessly. "Of course you are. Now enough with the childish antics and go pack."

"I'm sorry Nik, I'm not going" she whispered.

He looked up, staring at her serious face. "Is this about Stefan?" he sneered. "Cause honestly Bekah, you rolled around the sack once, he won't be riding into the sunset with you."

"Like you would know anything about that."

He glared at her before speaking in a deadly voice. "Are you choosing him over me?"

"Yes, I think I am" she replied slowly. "You separated us once, I won't allow you to do it again."

He laughed and Rebekah flinched from the evil sound. "You honestly think he'll choose to be with you over the doppelganger? Really Rebekah, I thought you'd become less stupid over time."

"That's enough Niklaus" Elijah said sternly.

Klaus looked at him, then back at his sister who had tears in her eyes but still held a stubborn face. "You know what? Fine. I don't give a damn anymore." He dropped everything that he was holding and walked out of the room.

Rebekah started sobbing quietly. Elijah looked at her with concern_. This was not good_, he thought.

A few minutes later they heard him come down the staircase before he walked past the living room's doorway and towards the entrance. He was carrying a large suitcase as he headed for his black SUV.

He was going to drive; he _needed_ to drive.

Elijah appeared at the entrance just as he slammed the trunk shut.

"Where are you going?"

Klaus considered remaining silent, but knew his answer would irk Elijah even more.

"Good ol' Louisiana" he smirked as he opened the driver's door at got inside.

Elijah inhaled deeply.

_Yes, this was definitely not good._

* * *

**Forgive me. I am lazy and I am self conscious and I don't know what to think about this chapter.**

**And you might've noticed that this is still chapter 3 cause I merged prologue and chapter 1. Idk if it bothers anyone, but I thought I should mention it.**

**Tell me your thoughts! [Also check A/N at the end of chapter 2 for all possible OOCness]**

**And thank you Katie (Hybridlovelies) for reading this and telling me her thoughts. I love you.**


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